Rye in the Sky
by Non Importante
Summary: Rye is a Tournament hero, what will happen when he meets Kaya. Twisted romance in a twisted world of murder and mayhem. CHAPTER 3 IS FINALLY UP!
1. Morpheus

Rye in the Sky  
  
Chapter 1: Morpheus  
  
Rye Michs was a seldom-smart man, but he was far from stupid. In the world of Tournament fighting, he was the best, and the quickest ever.  
Rye was 6'8" and had the looks that made you think he was 10' tall. Rye's look was authoritative, especially when his shock rifle was pointing at you. He had a very strange way for priming for a match... He read a book, usually something written by his father, who wrote romance novels. Many others have tried to duplicate this technique, but have failed when Rye shoots them in the head with a razor.  
  
"MORPHEUS!" Screamed the announcer like an overexcited child. "The competitors may enter now!"  
Rye was the first to walk out; he was holding a large silver gun that he called the Redeemer.  
"Holy shit! Rye has pulled out his big gun for this match! Maybe someone told him that he was going up against Jiu and Kaya, the only Tournament power couple." The announcer seemed eager to announce the upcoming carnage. "Here is the power couple!"  
Kaya walked out first; she was petite which is probably why she has survived so long. Too many people have underestimated her and only one had survived to regret it.  
Jiu wandered out like a puppy that had just been kicked. His relationship with Kaya was short and Rye would most likely make it shorter.  
Several others wandered out bringing the total to eight people on the field.  
"READY! AND FIGHT!"  
Rye jumped up to a hidden alcove under the top platform and launched a rocket. He looked into the eyepiece and controlled it with the joysticks. He watched the rocket bare down on Jiu and then...  
"HOLY SHIT! RYE JUST TURNED JIU INTO GIBBS! He just barely missed Kaya!"  
"Asshole!" Rye heard over the radio, it was the most angelic voice Rye had ever heard in the Tournament.  
Rye quickly reloaded the gun and launched a shot that chunked a spacecow and two humans. The blood splattered over the walls nearby. Kaya reached for her shock rifle, an explosion interrupted her three feet away. Kaya jumped and landed near a sniper rifle. She quickly put her eye on the eyepiece and fired a shot that clipped Rye in the arm.  
"WOW! RYE WAS ALMOST KILLED BY KAYA!"  
It was these things that made Rye mad, it made it to easy to get revenge. Rye launched another rocket and it sped towards Kaya, she managed to shoot the rocket before it reached her, she chunked the last breathing human in the process.  
This was when Rye had his chance. He would destroy the other half of the power couple. She shot him. She needed to pay. He grabbed his gun and decided that this would be much more pleasing up close.  
Rye jumped down towards her, slightly faster than the bullets she was shooting at him. Rye came face to face with her. He stopped, he couldn't shoot her, he couldn't hurt her. She was beautiful and she was his, or she would be. He loved her, he knew that he loved her. He smiled, and opened his mouth to speak.  
Kaya stabbed him in the stomach. Rye kissed her hand and passed out on the floor. Kaya let him live, she didn't know why, but she wanted him to live. 


	2. Stupid Freak

Chapter 2: Stupid Freak  
  
Rye woke and felt nothing below his chest. He looked around and saw human body parts hanging from the wall. There was a hand that he was fixated on that started to twitch. The hand seemed to notice that Rye was looking at it, it turned and gave him the middle finger.  
Rye continued looking around, he eyes grazed his stomach and an eight- legged silver bugs glanced up at him and said in a robotic and mousy tone, "Are you feeling well?"  
Rye was not used to healbots but had heard of them when his father, who was a former Tournament hero, had gotten his hand shot off. Rye examined this robot and it had a sort of teddy-bear quality to it that Rye, as hard as he was, couldn't help but soften to it. "As well as can be expected." Rye forced the answer for the healbot's sake. The healbot stared at Rye, nodded, and simply went back to work.  
Not many people had any idea how healbots worked, and frankly they were happier not knowing. The healbot was one of those inventions that just happened from time to time.  
Rye choked as a healbot climbed up his esophagus. The healbot apologized and moved back down to the stomach. Rye turned his head as a noise came from the door.  
"Haylo zzere mine favrite patient." Said the doctor as he edged closer to Rye.  
"What is with the accent Freake?" Rye returned without any emotion.  
"Okay, sorry, I just thought I'd play the mad doctor role for an hour or so." Dr. Freake replied in a slippery tone with just a hint of disappointment.  
"Well, don't. I'm not in a joking mood."  
"You know you're father was about your age when he lost his touch." Dr. Freake said sympathetically.  
"My father was 50 when he lost his touch, and I am only 23. Besides I haven't lost my touch at all!" Rye was angered but couldn't move enough to express this physically.  
"So then," Dr. Freake moved even closer. "What exactly happened?"  
Rye was in no mood to tell a story, but he was afraid of quiet, so, "I jumped into an alcove on Morpheus. I launched my first rocket and destroyed Jiu. Kaya saw this and knew it was my so she shot at me... I wanted to kill her, I was fucking pissed! I jumped down towards her and."  
"And?" Dr. Freake was very intrigued.  
"And I couldn't hurt her... I couldn't do anything to hurt her... I... Love... Her..." Rye started to daze off.  
"What?" Dr. Freake asked in a sharp tone. "You fucking love her?!? That bitch stabbed you in the fucking stomach! Are you fucking stupid?!?"  
Somewhere after the word 'bitch' Rye's arm got feeling again and he broke free and grabbed Dr. Freake by the throat. "NEVER CALL HER A BITCH!" Rye threw him on the floor and then calmly said, "I won't warn you again. I have been your friend for a while, right?"  
"Right." Dr. Freake said pulling a piece of broken glass out of his ear.  
"Well, if you want to stay on friendly terms, then don't fuck with me." Rye said and he lied back down.  
  
In a dank alleyway Rye's father known now only as Theo was waiting for someone. The previous day he had received a message that someone wanted to meet him and that post-noted that it was urgent. Theo was now a man of 56 and he still had all of his wits about him.  
A man emerged from the shadows and said, "I am Leo, I seek revenge for my brother's death." Leo grabbed Theo by the neck and stabbed him so many times that the coroners almost couldn't identify him.  
  
Against everyone's advice Kaya decided to go and see Rye.  
Kaya walked in the door revealing to Rye that she had beaten up Dr. Freake. The doctor was lying on the ground with healbots all over him. Kaya was wearing a red flowing dress that started at her shoulders and had a split down the middle that revealed all the cleavage that Rye could stand.  
"No one wanted me to come here to see you." Kaya's angelic voice radiated off of the walls. As she walked to Rye her hips moved from side to side and Rye nearly forgot what she had just said.  
Rye sat up and looked at her, he really did love her... "Uh..." That was about as much as he could manage. Kaya just stared at him making it quite clear that his answer was not sufficient. "I love you."  
Kaya smiled which literally scared the hell out of Rye. Kaya sat down and exposed the inside of her leg; Rye was simply at a loss for words and most thoughts. "That would sound sweet if you weren't a mass murderer." Her voice did nothing to shock him back into reality, he simply changed the words and that pushed him farther into fantasy.  
"I murder?" Rye said so absently that his lips almost didn't move. Rye smiled at Kaya, his eyes drifted around her body. He saw all that he needed for now... He loved her, and he wanted her to know that and believe... Maybe even return his love.  
"I'm sorry for stabbing you. I just was very surprised that you didn't kill me, so I reacted. It was not my intention to hurt you." Kaya paused as if in very deep thought. "Okay that is a lie."  
Rye knew that no matter how hard he tried this question would expel itself from his thoughts and leap through his mouth... "Why did you let me live?" Rye stared at her peach skin until every imperfection and perfection was burned into his mind.  
"I really don't know why. You just had to live, I really wish I knew why..." Kaya now was looking all over Rye, scooping for any scars that she caused. She saw a scar on his stomach and raised her index finger and pointed at it. "Is that mine?"  
Rye followed her finger to his stomach and looked back at her, sliding up her chest and meeting with her eyes. "Yes, it is," His voice lowered, "my love."  
Kaya noted the end of the sentence but decided not to harp on it. "I have to go..." Suddenly she remembered something she had to tell him. "I'm sorry..." She started, which confused Rye horribly. "You're father was murdered, and Leo is taking responsibility. I'm very sorry, your father was a good man."  
Rye's eyes widened. "Yes he was... Leo said the he did it?"  
"Yes he did."  
"Thank you." Rye said quietly, they both knew what he was going to do.  
Kaya leaned down and kissed Rye on the cheek. "I have to go, I have to talk to King." Kaya leaned down even closer. "Would you like to be my partner in C-T-F?"  
"Yes, I would like that very much." Rye smiled, his mind was obviously somewhere else.  
Kaya walked out of the room, before she was completely out of the room she turned around and watched Rye stand up and dress himself. She continued out the door and looked over to the barely mobile Dr. Freake. "Your patient is awake... I'd stay out of his way if I were you."  
The doctor nodded and leaned against the wall as he scraped a healbot off of his face.  
  
Rye stumbled out into an open room inside of Leo's restaurant. Rye screamed at the top of his lungs and began shooting the people in the room with his automag. Leo emerged from under a pile of dead bodies and pulled out a sword.  
Leo spun the sword around on his finger and he flipped the blade over his shoulders and he repeated these actions. Leo straitened the blade and cut him across the chest. Rye looked down and ran his finger over the new scar and down the one that Kaya gave him, he smiled.  
"You fucked up my scar." Rye said calmly and Leo laughed.  
Leo straightened out the blade again and gave an evil smile. Rye quickly lifted his gun and fired a shot that pinned a large amount of Leo's brain against the wall behind him. Leo slowly fell to the floor.  
Rye smiled and left the restaurant just as calmly as he entered.  
  
Kaya entered King's office. King is the owner and manager of the Tournament, so if anyone wanted anything done they had to talk to him.  
"King, sir?" said Kaya quietly.  
"Yes."  
"I would like to request Rye as one of my teammates in the Hall of Giants C-T-F." Kaya said as sweet as she could without suggesting anything.  
King turned and looked at her, he was a very strong man and was no doubt a Tournament fighter himself once. Most likely around the time when the rules were more relaxed.  
"Any reason?"  
"He needs to work with me, to get himself back in shape. I can protect him" Kaya edged closer to him.  
King smiled. "All right, but make it a good show."  
"You won't regret this."  
  
Tim was the announcer at all of the Tournament matches. By his job description, he wasn't allowed to bet on the matches. So, Tim contacted a few of his friends who bet on the blue team for the upcoming Hall of Giants Capture the Flag match.  
"What do you know that we don't?" One of his friends asked.  
"I've paid a red team-member a lot of money so that she will betray Kaya and make the game more even on our side..." Tim grinned evilly. He loved moments like this.  
  
Rye walked into Dave's Sniper Emporium with the intentions of purchasing a new gun. Rye had an addiction to buying sniper rifles everytime he got his paycheck.  
Dave smiled from behind the counter. "Hey there Rye. Just got a new model that goes up to 10 times the zoom of the last one you got. And this one shots about twenty times farther."  
"Thanks, gimmie it."  
Rye was a man of few words but he always got what he wanted.  
Rye held the gun in his hand and pointed it at the wall.  
"Bam!"  
  
The match was about to begin, just about two days before it was announced that the match would be a shock arena. Rye was upset because he was looking forward to using his new sniper rifle. However, he was happy that it was an arena, because that meant that everyone starts with the same weapon but you can find others.  
The day of the match was upon them, Kaya had arrived at Rye's apartment to personally pick him up for the match. Kaya wanted to make sure he was priming himself. She found him reading Love as Tornadoes which was Rye's father's top-selling book.  
"Interesting?" Kaya asked.  
Rye closed the book. "This is about the third time I've read it, John just dumped Sarah again."  
"So are you ready to go?"  
"Yeah."  
Rye was a man of few words.  
  
Rye and Kaya were donning matching red jumpsuits. They walked out metaphorically hand-in-hand. The two other teammates walked out as well.  
"ARE YOU READY?!?" Tim yelled. "GO!"  
One of the teammates turned and pulled out an automag and pointed it at Rye. She pulled the trigger just as Kaya stepped forward. The bullet passed through her hips and she collapsed in Rye's arms.  
"Oh! Kaya are you okay?" Rye asked.  
Rye was a man of few words. 


	3. CTF Hall of Giants

Chapter 3: CTF Hall of Giants  
  
Kaya fell to the ground, blood oozed out of her hip. She was willing it to stop; she was willing the pain to stop. No matter how hard she tried, she could feel the bullet, still lodged inside of her. The pain was great, she even forgot that Rye was there holding her hand.  
"Okay?" The man of few words spoke again.  
She merely grunted, she saw Rye's face go red. It was a horrible sight, she thought, such a handsome man with such a distorted look befalling him.  
"Wait here, be right back." Rye said.  
Rye stood up and turned to the teammate who shot her. He pulled out his shock rifle and pointed it at the quivering girl's sweaty head. He charged the weapon.  
"Who told you to shoot her?"  
"The announcer... He told me to shoot you, I missed." She said. It was the last thing she said.  
Rye walked over to Kaya; he grabbed her by the small of the back and lifted her on to his shoulders. "Now would be the time to tell me if you have a problem propelling towards the ground at high speeds." Rye kissed her on the cheek.  
She grunted softly. Kaya was more comfortable now; the bleeding had almost stopped.  
Rye leapt off of the edge and fell toward the ground. Ten feet before impact Rye aimed his shock rifle downward and started to fire. The force from his gun and Kaya's, once she got the idea, was enough so that they landed very lightly. Rye, still carrying Kaya, dashed over to a transport tube. He told Kaya to stay there; nothing could be done until the match was won.  
On Rye's way to leave, someone from the blue team stopped him and was about to shoot him.  
"Don't fuck with me right now if you want to live."  
"Oh yeah! Well what if I."  
Rye absently aimed the rifle and turned the man into a steaming pile of flesh and powdered calcium. Rye was not in a good mood.  
  
King sat in his office chair in the hallway. He enjoyed this. King loved to watch the match with the workers. They always had better reactions to the brutal violence then he did.  
Just a minute ago one of the workers vomited when Kaya was shot, this is what he lives for.  
And then there was Rye, his dear psychotic Rye. He knew that Rye would make this show interesting. Honestly King had no idea why a teammate fired at Kaya, but who the hell cares. It would be the best show ever.  
  
Rye ran to the other side of the Hall and stared at a small hole in the wall. He knew that this was a camera; he started yelling.  
"What the fuck happened? You guys better call this fucking thing off! Someone fucking rigged the fucking match! Kaya is fucking dying!" Rye pointed the gun at the small hole. "And believe me. If she dies. King, you're next!" He fired the gun.  
  
All the men in King's office jumped back at the sound of the shrill feedback.  
"What the shit was he babbling about?" King asked, no one responded since everyone was still crying on the floor. "I ASKED A QUESTION!"  
All the men suddenly stood bolt upright. There was no mistaking that King now had their attention. King was a big man who weighed in at nearly 450 pounds; almost none of that was fat.  
"Now that you are all paying attention... What the fuck was he bitching about?" King grabbed one of the young men by the shirt. "You."  
The young man had no idea how to start. "Ah..." But he tried. "Rye said that the match was rigged and if Kaya dies he'll take it out on you."  
King didn't like this news.  
"I don't like this news." King grabbed the man by his ears and tossed him across the room. King had been threatened a great many number of times by Rye, usually it pertained to nonsensical and bullshit items like pay. When Rye made a death threat, he meant it and King was more than well aware of it.  
"Bring me Tim's secretary. She'll know what Rye is talking about."  
  
The walk was like death for Frank Borinski, the man sent to do the job. The hall was long and dimly lit by a lone lamp swinging from the ceiling. The floor was a greenish pink color; Frank wasn't sure exactly which color came first. There were only two doors down at the end of the hallway.  
One had a sign that read: "Closet, Don't Touch"  
The other sign read: "Timothy Zen the Announcer's Office"  
Frank opened the door. A small blonde woman was fast asleep at the desk. Frank walked over to the desk and lightly grazed her shoulder with his hand.  
"Miss Szydai? Lia Szydai, I need to speak with you." Frank Borinski saw that she had her blouse partially open, most likely because of the excessive amount of heat in the room. Frank was highly tempted to get a closer look; however, he did not. He grabbed her shoulder and shook her furiously.  
"AH!" Lia Szydai screamed and flailed her arms around in a feeble attempt to move Frank further away than he already was.  
"Ma'am, please calm down." Frank said politely as he climbed down from the counter that he had leapt up to.  
"Who the fuck are you? What the fuck to you want?" Lia jumped backwards a few feet.  
Frank stepped closer, he knew that now she was the frightened one. "I, ma'am, am Frank Borinski. I am here because King wishes to speak with you."  
"Why? What happened? Did Tim do something?" Lia didn't move any other body part other than her mouth and tongue.  
"Yes, Miss Szydai. Tim did do something. He rigged the match." Frank smiled. This was the easier part of his job. In this fight he was winning. "Would you kindly take anything you require and follow me?" It wasn't a question.  
Lia grabbed her bag and followed Frank down the ever-leading hallway. Lia half-expected Frank to start chanting, "Dead woman walking! We got a dead woman walking here!" She was pleased that silence was included as a friend in this walk.  
This was one time when silence meant warmth.  
  
King was pissed. Well, let's say that pissed is a grave understatement.  
"Aah!" King screamed as he tore a stone wall off of the rebar that held it there. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!!!" King made one of his employees about 6 inches shorter and he tossed the head into the trash. "Get the janitor to clean this shit up!"  
Frank walked in and at first he had a very proud demeanor, which was quickly raped and beaten by King's mannerism.  
"S-s-sir?" Frank stuttered. Frank was an easy man to crush and he began to feel the weight. "I got Tim's assistant, sir. This is Lia..."  
"I don't fucking care about her name!" Frank nearly passed out. King turned to Lia. "What the fuck does your boss think he is doing fucking with me?!? Answer me!"  
Lia's pants decided to change color and texture at the same time.  
"I'm sorry sir but I don't have any idea." Lia was now moving around with a baby in her pants.  
Frank moved nervously. "THAN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE IF YOU DON'T KNOW?!? FRANK!" King yelled. Again... understatement.  
Frank stepped forward, or at least he would have if his legs would respond. "Yessir?"  
"FRANK! Ah-hem... Frank... Friend? Why didn't you ask her?" King was even worse when he was nice to you.  
"Sir, I did. She said she wanted to tell you herself." Frank was smart when it came to survival tactics. Under normal circumstances he would have fled, but King is like a pit bull... He chases. Poor Lia, thought Frank, better her than me though.  
King smiled defiantly and turned back to Lia. "You did? What did you wish to tell me?"  
Lia shook her head violently with the determination of someone who just now realized what had happened. She lifted her hand and stuck her index finger out towards Frank. Frank moved to avoid the loaded finger. "He didn't ask me shit!"  
"Watch your tone..." King stared through Lia.  
"He fucking said the Tim did something I didn't say jack-fucking- shit!" Lia had no idea the she had wandered onto the grass that sat on the top of her already dug grave. She started jumping.  
"Fuck it! I've been too patient. Take her off and kill her!" King paused in his movement. "Hold on... I'll do it."  
There was a sad snapping sound then silence.  
King had crushed underfoot his pet dog "Tinny."  
Now he was really pissed.  
  
Rye knew what had to be done. He jumped and landed on a platform slightly higher than his own height. He stared the stare of a determined man who was more than willing to give you a one-way ticket to meet the great creator.  
Off in the distance a camera committed suicide.  
Rye ran. Well only in the physical since. Mentally, the world was clever enough to move for him. He only had to move his feet to give it incentive.  
Rye jumped up to the blue flag and grabbed it.  
"WOW! RYE GOT THE BLUE FLAG!" Tim shouted.  
Rye shot the voice box. The feedback was shrieking, but anything was better than his voice right now.  
The ground moved Rye in the direction of the transport tunnel that Kaya was hiding. Rye slipped past her and was flying in the air before she even heard the "Hello."  
Falling. This was something Rye knew and understood. The sad thing is that his teammate didn't get the idea of how he slowed himself. Rye landed on the remains.  
Rye secured the flag into the slot.  
Suddenly the lights went up and Tim was seen fleeing with great speed.  
King showed himself.  
Rye smiled and fired.  
  
Kaya heard the shot and slowly stuck her head around the corner. She saw that the lights were up. She smiled. and was struck in the back of the head. She fell into the assailant's arms.  
  
King ducked. He soon realized that if the shot was meant for him he wouldn't have a head to duck with. Slowly, King arose.  
"Who the fuck you shooting at?"  
"Sorry, King. A little trigger happy I guess." Rye grinned and forced the words out through his teeth.  
"Where is Tim?" King asked himself.  
Rye pointed at the direction that Tim ran off in. "The bitch went that way. But don't worry. I'll get him."  
SCREECH! CRASH! ZIP!  
Rye was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Ohshitohshitohshitohshit!" Tim ran as fast as he could. "Fuckfuckfuckfuck!"  
By the time Tim only heard his footsteps he was about 10 miles away. He slowed.  
PAP! BOOM! PAP! BOOM! Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap.  
Tip. Top. Tip. Top.  
Tim took off in a full run again.  
  
Dr. Freake carried Kaya all the way back to his clinic.  
"Sorry, m'darling. I had to. King's orders you know." Dr. Freake leaned in to tell the unconscious Kaya a secret. "However I am going to download your skill right from your brain into my Robots. Heh heh heh!"  
The evil doctor is in.  
  
Tim stopped in an alleyway. He could no longer breathe easily. He knew that someone was tailing him. But who? Who would know that I did what I did?  
Rye peered around the corner.  
Tim shit himself.  
"Good boy! Maybe I should smack you on the snout with newspaper?" Rye laughed. Tim shit himself yet again.  
Rye held out his hands and grabbed Tim by the ears. Tim pulled away and Rye kept souvenir. Tim was so scared that shitting himself was no longer an option.  
"What do you want?" That was a rough translation of what Tim said. What he actually said was, "Wha... We... To... Want... Blood?... Help..."  
Rye understood this somehow. "I want you to be in a lot of pain, Tim. You will be... Dead, eventually." Rye smiled, his teeth followed suit. "Until then I'm having some fun..."  
  
The news took the story and ran.  
"Today Timothy Zen's body was found in an alley at the cross section of Green and Terrace. He was horribly disemboweled." The news anchor shifted nervously. "His arms were stuck in his own anal cavity..." The sound of vomit followed. "Police believe that Rye Michs is responsible for this heinous crime. The leader of the tournament, King, could not be reached for comment."  
That last statement was a lie. King was reached for comment. However, his comment was to rip the reporter's head off and stick the microphone in the bloody stump.  
Not really a comment you can air.  
  
Rye sat comfortably in his chair. He was sure that they were following him. He knew he was going to be arrested. Rye also knew that he wouldn't fight. Fate was not someone you fucked with.  
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!  
Rye simply said, "Fuck off!" He didn't feel like opening the door and being tackled. So he pissed them off so that they would bust open the door.  
The door fell in. Three men ran over to Rye and handcuffed him. Rye stood and walked out quietly.  
Fate had won.  
  
King sat in his chair. Frank Borinsky wandered in.  
"You wished you see me sir?" Frank stuttered.  
"Yes. I want you to be the new announcer." King said in a very matter- of-factly tone.  
Frank smiled. "Yes sir. I would be must honered." Frank quickly added, "Thank you very much sir."  
Manners in these days are very important.  
  
Kaya slowly awoke on a cold metal table.  
"Look, they caught your boyfriend." Dr. Freake said.  
Kaya stared at the television that said, "Today police apprehended Rye Michs at his home where he gave no struggle. Sergeant Tinu is to be rewarded today at..."  
"Fuck!" Was all Kaya was heard to say. 


End file.
